The Broken Soul Can't Be Alive And Whole
by Phantom-Phan4ever
Summary: The soprano of the century is dead, leaving Erik and Gustave behind. In his blackest despair, broken-hearted Erik learns what real friendship and compassion feels like. And what about Gustave – will he begin to see the beauty underneath?
1. Chapter 1

**The broken soul can't be alive and whole**

**Chapter 1**

**The soprano of the century is dead, leaving Erik and Gustave behind. In his blackest despair, broken-hearted Erik learns what real friendship and compassion is like. And what about Gustave – will he begin to see the beauty underneath?**

**Erik's POV:**

The Angel of Music was gone…. Christine was dead!

She had died in my arms! I did all I could possibly do to save her and yet, the only woman I had ever loved perished in my arms….

At first I had yet hoped she would somehow pull through, but it was only when I removed my hand to look down at her blood-soaked dress that I knew she most likely wouldn't…

My heart almost stopped within my chest when I realised she wouldn't survive….No!

I pressed my hand desperately against her wound, trying to push the blood back into her veins to stop the bleeding, but it was hopeless! There was so much blood…. too much blood…

Oh god!

"Erik…" Came my angel's weak voice.

"Shh…." I whispered, tears falling down my cheeks "Help will be here soon…save your strength…"

I prayed to god that Nadir would be back soon with help…

"Angel, I...I...l-love y-you…" she whispered weakly, placing her hand on my flawless cheek.

My Christine was so weak…so weak and barely alive.

"No... Christine! Please... stay with me!" I begged and gently slapped her cheek when she almost passed out.

Luckily it worked for my angel opened her eyes again.

"Remember,...love never...dies..." she said, her voice only a whisper.

"Christine...no" I cried, hot tears of despair streaming down my cheeks "You'll be fine ...angel...just stay with me!"

"Promise me you will stay strong-"

"I can't …!" I cried "Not without you….Christine, I need you!"

"Please...for Gustave,...for our son" she insisted.

"No...we…we both will take care of him." I sobbed, still hoping she would somehow make it through.

"Kiss me...one last time" she whispered, weakly grabbing my shoulder.

I bent down to kiss her as she wrapped one arm round my neck and placed her other hand on my cheek.

I gently wrapped my arms round my angel's weak body as we shared the most passionate kiss we both have ever had. Tears were falling down my cheeks as I felt her delicate lips against mine. It was the last time I'd ever feel her lips upon my own and I refused to stop it.

Then she died! My reason to live perished away in my arms!

I knew that she was gone once and for all the moment her hand dropped lifelessly down from my cheek.

"No!" I cried out in despair as I held my angel close to me.

I spent hours kneeling on the pier, holding my angel's lifeless body as close to me as possible, crying over my lost love.

Only then did Nadir return, followed by a doctor and two nurses.

What the hell had taken them so long? And what where they doing here now that it was too late already?!

It was horrible to hand Christine's lifeless body over to them. I knew that I had to let go, but I couldn't… I just couldn't!

I rose to my feet and found my son standing there in front of me, his cheeks covered all in tears. The crying child looked up at me as he stepped closer. His small hand reached out for my mask, but I backed away, afraid he would scream again.

However, something in his pleading eyes told me he wouldn't. I still don't know why but I removed my mask and wig and knelt down in front of him, making it easier for him to look at my face.

Instead of screaming and running away, he looked at me without any fear in his eyes and wrapped his small arms around me.

I hugged my child close to me while watching those people carry my lifeless angel away…

Without even noticing it, I reached one hand out for my angel as I kept Gustave hugged close.

Only when I felt a hand on my shoulder did I turn my eyes away from the direction they had carried Christine to. Hot tears were falling down my cheeks as I looked up at Nadir who gestured for us to go back.

"Erik,…" He begun "we should go back…"

I couldn't say anything… I just nodded and rose to my feet, taking Gustave's hand.

"Papa,…" my child sobbed, reaching his arms out for me.

I scooped him up in my arms and he wrapped his around my neck. He frantically cried into my shirt as we walked our way back towards Phantasma.

There was no point in bringing him back to the hotel, for everything around there would remind him of his mother...my Christine! My lair was the only place I could think of going to and therefore, I carried him there. There wasn't enough space for two people to stay in the long run but it would do it for now.

Gustave could sleep in my bed and I would sleep on the couch till I had organized another place for us to stay. My bed was much more comfortable and I knew I couldn't bear to sleep anyway….How could I sleep now that my Christine was lost and gone forever?

Once we reached my lair, I laid my son down in my bed, tucking him in.

"Time to sleep now, Gustave" I said, placing a kiss on his forehead.

"I can't...I want mother!" he cried.

"I know, Gustave... but please try to sleep." I said, gently wiping away his tears.

"M-...Papa?" he grabbed my arm as I turned away.

"What is it?"

"Will you sleep here tonight?" he asked, looking at me teary-eyed.

"Of course, Gustave" I nodded and sat beside him on the bed.

My son snuggled up beside me wrapped his arms round my chest and rest his head against my shoulder.

I held him close to me till he was fast asleep in my arms. As I feared, I couldn't bear to sleep and so I rose from the bed, making sure not to wake my child.

I went to the kitchen only to find Nadir there waiting for me.

"Erik,…" he said, gesturing for me to sit down.

I rolled my eyes, for I knew what he was up to but neither did I have the strength nor was I willing to argue with him. Not now and therefore I sat down.

"Here," he said as he placed a cup of coffee down in front of me "that will make you feel better."

Make me feel better! Was he kidding me? How could a bloody cup of coffee make me feel better?

"I'm sorry, Erik" he said as he sat opposite to me.

He was sorry! Was that supposed to help me?

Yes, I knew he only expressed his compassion, but what did he expect me to answer?

Should I thank him for that? Surely not! I couldn't and I wouldn't!

Words seemed superfluous to me now...

There was nothing left to say and therefore I just kept staring down at my cup of coffee.

"Erik, …I know this is incredibly hard, but believe me, I know how you feel…"

That was enough!

"You know how I feel…" I repeated angrily "How can _you_ know how _I_ feel?!"

He opened his mouth but I wouldn't let him speak.

"You know nothing!" I yelled at him as I rose to my feet, heading towards the door "absolutely nothing!"

"Erik-"

"Don't Erik me!" I shouted "Go! Just go!"

I didn't wait for him to leave, for I trusted my old Persian friend to be intelligent enough to leave. If only I had known it better…

I went to my bedroom and snuggled beside my sleeping child, making sure not to wake him. I closed my eyes and yet there was no point in sleeping… So many questions kept running through my head.

How was I to go on?

Yes, my angel made me promise to stay strong for our child, but how? How could I?

How should I raise the boy alone?

I myself had never had a father… No, all I ever had was a mother who loathed me…Not the best requirements to raise a child, but I would try it nevertheless.

Just give what I could give, and take what little I deserved…

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	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

**Gustave's POV:**

I sat there on the edge of the pier, buried my face in my legs and cried desperately for my mother.

I knelt by her side from the moment the gun went of to the moment she almost lost consciousness. I fought back tears with all my might, pretending she would recover but when she almost lost consciousness I could no longer hold them back. I ran down from the pier and plopped down upon the sand, wrapped my arms around my legs, crying desperately.

This couldn't be true. My mother couldn't just leave me. How was a child supposed to live without his mother? This was all just a nightmare and I would wake up soon…

My world was shattered but it got even worse when I asked where father was

"Your father -" she began but Mr. Y interrupted her.

"Christine, no-" he whispered "you promised me,"

"Erik,…you're all he has now." She replied weakly.

What was that all about?

"Father should be here!" I cried.

"Gustave, your real father…is here." she said, gently grabbing my hand.

"No…Mother, why do you lie to me?"

I refused to believe her. No, Mr. Y couldn't be my father. But why would she tell me if it wasn't true? Why would she lie to me?

"Gustave, please." she said, caressing my cheek "look with your heart, not with your eyes-"

That was when she passed out, causing me to run from the pier.

I shed bitter tears of despair as I sat there, trying to hide from reality.

I heard my mother beg Mr. Y to stay strong and look after me but still I refused to accept she would die. As I cried, I kept praying to god that he would save her.

I gave up praying the moment I heard Mr. Y cry out in despair. That was when I knew it was all over. My mother was gone...

When the ambulance carried my mother away, I walked over to Mr. Y and reached my arms out for him.

My papa lifted me up in his arms and carried me away from the pier. I didn't care where he was carrying me to. He could have carried me anywhere, I wouldn't have cared.

Hot tears were falling down my cheeks as I wrapped my arms round his neck, crying into my papa's shirt. He brought me to his home and stayed with me till I was asleep.

All I wanted was to escape that nightmare and so I cried myself to sleep in my papa's arms.

When I woke up the next morning, Mr. Y was still fast asleep beside me, one arm protectively wrapped around me. His deformity was buried in the pillow so that I wouldn't be scared and he didn't wear his wig. I looked at the flawless side of his face and noticed that we both had similar features and I had his blonde hair - the only difference was that I didn't have his deformity.

Only days ago, when I first met him in our hotel room he was a total stranger to me and now I would stay with him here on Coney Island.

When my mother told me that Mr. Y was my father, I refused to believe her. How could he be my father? I already had one - Raoul was my father! That's what she kept telling me at least. But where was he now that I needed him most? Where was he when my mother died? I had not seen him since mother's performance! Didn't he love me at all?

Instead of Raoul it was Mr. Y who was there when I most needed a father. He hugged me close, carried me to his home and just let me cry myself to sleep in his arms. I ask him to stay with me till I was alseep and he was still there when I woke up. The stains of tears on his cheek made it obvious that he too had cried himself to sleep.

I decided to let my papa sleep and after making sure not to wake him, I went to the kitchen to get something to drink

"Good morning," this oriental looking strange whom Mr. Y called Nadir greeted me when I walked through the door.

I was unsure what to say or how to act towards him. Yes, he was a friend of Mr. Y and he trusted him but my mother trusted Miss Giry as well…

"How are you feeling?" he asked as I rubbed the sleep out of my eyes.

"I...I miss my mother" I said, fighting back tears as I thought of her.

"Here, this will help you." He said, placing a cup of hot chocolate down infront of me.

I didn't know how a cup of hot chocolate should help me to deal with my mother's death but Mr. Khan seemed to be a nice person so I sat down. Other than Miss Giry, he was always polite to us and soon became friends with my mother.

"Thank you" I said as I sipped on my drink.

"Where's Er-…your father?" he asked after a while.

"Papa is still asleep" I said, sipping on my drink again "I didn't want to wake him."

He gave a sad smile and nodded "Let him get his rest, Gustave."

"Mr. Khan, how do you know my father?" I asked.

All I knew was that he was a old friend of my father but that was all about it.

"I met him in Persia." He said.

"Persia?" I asked "Where is that?"

"It's far away from America." He said

"Is it far away from Paris too?" I asked

"Yes, Gustave" he explained "It's closer to France than it is to America but still quite far away."

"What did you do in Persia?" I asked curiously.

"I was born there and worked as chief of police for the shah, that's when I met Erik."

"What's a shah?" I questioned.

"The shah is the king of Persia." He explained.

"Papa worked for the King of Persia?"

"As an architect." He nodded.

"Please see if Erik's awake and tell him that breakfast is ready." he said after he finished preparing breakfast, placing plates on the table.

I nodded and rose to my feet, walking over to Mr. Y's room.

When I reached his bedroom I found the door locked and there were heartbreaking sobs coming from inside.

"Papa?" I called him, trying to open the door.

"Leave me alone!" came his broken voice.

"Papa, breakfast is ready!"

"I'm not hungry, Gustave."

"Papa, please!" I knocked at the door again.

He didn't answer but his sobbing continued.

"Mr. Khan says you should come to the kitchen."

"Tell him I'm not hungry." He sobbed.

"Please come!" I insisted

"Leave me alone, Gustave!"

"But you have to eat something."

"I'm not hungry, Gustave." He repeated "Please go!"

I begged him again and again to come to the kitchen but my papa only kept telling me to go away.

Yes, my papa was a bit rude to me but I knew that was just because he was sad about my mother's death. It hurt me to see my papa like this. He was a good person and deserved to be happy.

I knew the only way of getting him out of his bedroom was with Mr. Khan's help.

"Papa refuses to leave his bedroom," I said as I walked back in the kitchen "I told him he had to eat something but he wouldn't listen."

"It's fine, Gustave" he said "I'll go and talk to him."

With that he turned and left for my papa's room.

Thoughts of my mother came back to my mind as soon as Mr. Khan was out of the kitchen. I didn't try to fight back tears for I knew it was useless, I just let them fall down my cheeks, crying for my mother.

Ever since I could think, playing the piano has always helped me to escape the world around me so I went over to Mr. Y's piano and started playing. I didn't need to think about what I was playing, just placed my fingers on the piano keyboard and played. Hot tears were falling down my cheeks as I sat at the piano, trying to escape my grief.

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	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

Looks like I had some problem with uploading this chapter yesterday so I uploaded it again :D Sorry everyone!

**Nadir's POV:**

I had never seen Erik like this, not even ten years ago when I helped him escape the mob that was waiting for him beneath the opera.

Right after Christine left with her future husband, I found my old friend in his lair. I didn't see him at first but I heard his heartbreaking sobs. Following the sobs to the direction they were coming from, I found him there kneeling on the floor, hugging Christine's veil.

He turned his head in hopes it would be her.

"Erik, we have to go." I said as I approached him.

"Leave me!" he told me.

"The mob will be here any minute. We have to get out of here!"

He didn't seem to hear me or if he did, he didn't care.

"Erik, I don't want you to get killed!" I told him, placing my hand on his shoulder "come on now."

"Go!" was his only reply.

"If the mob finds you, you will never see your Christine again." I said as I heard the mob approaching Erik's lair "Meg and Madame Giry are waiting for us in a carriage outside. For god's sake, Erik! Let's go!"

Much to my relief, he rose and nodded, wiping away his tears.

We managed to leave his lair through the back door the very moment the mob found his lair and went out to the carriage in which Meg and Madame Giry were already waiting.

I helped Madame Giry to smuggle Erik out of Paris for he was a wanted criminal now and the infamous Phantom of the Opera surely couldn't stay in Paris.

We brought him to Calais and found ourselves a ship that set sail to America. He spent the entire journey in silence and he refused to eat and drink. Once in there, we went over to Coney Island and started a new life there.

With every year that past, I hoped he would have forgotten her but who was I kidding? Of course he didn't!

I don't know when he had come up with the idea of luring her over to Coney but he did and was obviously successful.

Ever since the day she finally arrived on Coney, he had been so happy. He had missed her dearly and I could only hope that she wouldn't reject him again.

The few weeks she spent on Coney had an positive effects on Erik. He smiled a lot more than before and he did everything he could to make her happy.

Ever since the events on the pier, he had hardly spoken a word and locked himself in his bedroom for days, refusing to talk to anyone.

"What do you know how I feel?" were the only words he had said to me since she had died.

I knew exactly how he felt for I too had lost my wife while she was giving birth to our son. I had to go through the same as Erik now but at least he had Gustave to look after.

The child needed his father now more than ever and yet he sent him away whenever Gustave wanted to be with him.

I tried to talk to him several times but he wouldn't open up, no matter how often I tried to. There was no point in forcing him to leave his bedroom and therefore I decided to take care of Gustave until Erik felt better. I was sure he would have done the same for me.

I did exactly the same after my wife died, locking myself in my bedroom and lay in bed for days, thinking of my lost love but I didn't have a child to look after.

Erik had Gustave and I wouldn't allow him to abandon his child in his grief.

The days went by and I decided to talk to him.

One morning, Gustave came walking into the kitchen. The poor child looked still so broken.

"Mr. Khan, I'm hungry!" he said as he rubbed the sleep out of his eyes.

"Go get dressed and then we will go to the bakery and get you something." I told him.

"Will papa come with us?" he asked.

"No, Gustave. He needs his rest."

"Why does he keep himself locked away in his room?" came his broken voice.

"He misses your mother, Gustave. Give him the time he needs to deal with her loss." I told him.

"But I miss her too!" he cried

"I know" I said. Of course did he miss his mother and he needed a father who was there for him. Now more then ever!

"Doesn't he know I miss her too?" he sobbed "Doesn't he know I need him?"

"He knows, Gustave." I assured him "I will go and talk to him when we're back from the bakery."

He only nodded, wiping away his tears.

"Now, get ready and then we shall go to the bakery."

He nodded once more and left the kitchen.

While the child got dressed, I went to Erik's bedroom and knocked at the door, hoping he would open but of course he didn't.

I begged him to come with us but he refused to. He couldn't lock himself in his bedroom forever but for now I was sick of arguing with him. Just as I told Gustave, I would talk to his father once we were back from the bakery.

Once the child was ready we left the lair, heading towards the Phantasma bakery.

**Erik's POV:**

I did hardly sleep the night of the horrible events. Just as I had feared, nightmare of what just happened kept haunting me as soon as I was asleep, my son hugged close to me. I wrapped my arms protectively round him as if I was afraid to lose him as well for what was my life worth living for when I lost him as well?

Then we were on the beach again, Meg was pointing the gun at my angel and then she pulled the trigger.

My eyes flew open the moment the gun went of and I shot to a sitting position. It took me a few minutes to realise that I was in my bed.

Tears came to my eyes as I looked round me and found my angel was gone. I knew that she died but I stupidly hoped she was somehow here beside me and that last night was the real nightmare.

Gustave was already awake and probably in the kitchen or living room so I rose to my feet and went over to lock my door. That done, I went back to my bed. As I lay there, staring at the ceiling thoughts of my angel kept running through my head.

"Oh, Christine" I whispered, hoping she would somehow reply but she never did.

I missed her dearly. Oh how I missed my angel. My Christine!

I felt empty without her.

Nothing seemed important to me anymore since my love was gone, there was only one wish left inside me: I wanted to be with her. I wanted to be with Christine!

Every second without her was an ordeal for me! With every second that past, my yearning to be with her grew.

Yes, I had lived the past ten years without her here beside me but the thought of having her back again kept be going.

As long as I knew she was safe and sound in Paris, I knew there was a every so little chance to have her back beside me. One day, I had the idea of luring her over to Coney Island. I was the owner of Phantasma now and nothing about an invitation from Mr. Y, the owner of Phantasma, would maker her suspicious. I invited her over to Coney to sing at the concert in my park.

Once she came here, I would go to her and talk to her. I would tell her that I had never stopped loving her. During those ten years, there has never been a day that I didn't think of her, that I didn't love her.

And who knows? Perhaps she would find that she loved me too and then finally leave her fop to stay with me.

I could only win for I had already lost everything I ever loved the moment I went of after our night of passion.

If I couldn't have her back, then I would at least hear her sing once more and if it was only for one sweet day.

I felt such happiness when she arrived here on Coney Island. The weeks she spent with me here were the happiest I would ever experience. I had a taste of joy and now that she was gone once and for all, there was only one thing I could think of. Only one thing I wanted.

What I wanted was to be with her and I knew only one bullet was required to reunite me with her again.

When Nadir and my son left for the bakery to get some breakfast for us, I rose from my bed and opened the door to my bedroom.

Walking over to the living room, I grabbed the gun, that lovely gun that would bring me to my angel.

I knew I had no time to lose for Gustave and Nadir could return any second and so I left my lair.

I headed towards the hotel and once in her room, the gun would finally reunite me with my angel…

**Nadir is back! YAY! **

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	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

**Gustave's POV:**

Once Mr. Khan and I got back from the bakery I went over to my papa's room only to find it deserted, the door wide open.

"Papa?" I asked, walking in.

I looked around but his room was completely deserted.

"Papa!" I stupidly cried out for him once more even though I knew there was no use in calling for my father.

His bedroom was deserted and I knew he wasn't there. But I couldn't help it. Stupidly enough I kept crying for him, hoping it would make him return.

The very thought of losing my father as well caused me to burst out crying.

What if my father left me as well?

I was ten years old and had just lost my mother! What was I to do when my father decided to leave me now?

I was only a child and couldn't possibly care for myself!

Mr. Khan came running as he heard me crying desperately.

"Gustave, what's the matter?" he asked.

"Papa," I cried "He's not here! What if he left me as well?"

"He didn't leave you-"

"But what if he did?" I cried, tears coming to my eyes "What should I do without him?"

Mr. Khan was still a stranger to me but despite that he hugged me, trying to calm me.

"Gustave, calm down." He said, patting my back "All will be fine."

"I'll go look for your father, just promise me you will stay here." he said after a few minutes.

"Mr. Khan, I'm scared." I sobbed.

"Don't be." He assured "I'll find him and all will be fine."

"May I come with you?

"No, Gustave, it's better you wait here in case your father will return." He said and I nodded.

"Promise that you'll find him?" I sobbed.

"I promise."

Then he left and as I watched him leave I prayed that he would keep his promise.

**Nadir's POV:**

There were heartbreaking sobs coming from Erik's bedroom and I went over there only to find Gustave crying desperately.

"What's the matter?" I asked as I reached him.

Erik's bedroom was deserted and the poor child was afraid that his father had left him too.

"Promise you'll find him." Gustave begged.

"I promise" I said but I was about to turn and walk out of the bedroom when I noticed in horror that Erik had taken his gun with him.

I told Gustave to stay in Erik's lair and left immediately to look for him.

After looking for him all over Phantasma and Coney Island I finally found him at the hotel.

I found him standing in the hotel room Christine used to live in.

I should have known it! Where else could he be?

He stood in her bedroom, his gun pointed at his head.

"Erik!" I said as I stood in the doorway.

"Go!" he whispered when he noticed me.

I couldn't see his face for he had his back turned on me but from his voice I could tell that he was crying silently.

"Erik, please-"

"Leave me, Nadir! Just go!" he demanded.

Yes, I could just have left him but I refused to let my old friend on his own like that. I couldn't let him kill himself and abandon his son!

I had been through the same as Erik now after my beloved wife died while giving birth to our son. I too locked myself up in my home for days, refusing to talk to anyone and the only desire I had was to be with her and my son again but Erik had Gustave to care for!

He couldn't just abandon him!

"Please, give me the gun" I insisted.

"The only person I have ever loved just passed away!" came his broken voice "Give me one reason why I should go on with this hell I'm living!"

"Erik, for Gustave's sake!"

"The child is better off without me!"

"How can you say that?" I asked, unable to believe what he just said "The boy panicked the moment he found your room deserted!"

"Look at the me, Nadir! Look at the monster that I am!" he shouted, pulling back the safety "He's better off without me!"

That was enough!

"You are Gustave's father and he needs you! For god's sake, Erik! Stop wallowing in self-pity!"

"You can't know-" he started but I refused to let him speak.

"What now, Erik?" I questioned "Are you telling me that I don't know how you feel? Do you seriously think I don't know how it feels to lose the love of your life?" I asked angrily, causing him to turn and face me.

"I know exactly how you feel for I too have lost my wife! I lost both my wife and child when she was giving birth to him!" Memories of my wife came back to my mind and I had tears coming to my eyes.

Erik looked at me in shock and let the gun suddenly drop to the ground.

I was relieved that the gun was out of his hands now but I was far too angry to leave it there just yet.

"I lost my wife and son but you still have Gustave to care for!" I told him. "The boy loves you and he needs you - You have to be strong for him!"

I watched him drop down on the bed, covering his face with his hands, crying.

I knew it wasn't right to yell at him like this when he was still in grief but he couldn't wallow himself in self-pity forever – for Gustave's sake.

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	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

**Erik's POV:**

As much as I wanted to be with my sweet Christine again, I knew that I still had my son to look after. Gustave was all I had left now and I couldn't abandon him by any means.

Nadir was right and therefore I dropped the gun, sat down on the bed and buried my face in my hands to hide the tears that were once more streaming down my cheeks.

He told me that it was back in Persia that he had lost his wife while she was giving birth to their first son. The doctors tried everything to save them but sadly they failed and both his wife and new born child passed away.

"Nadir, I...I'm sorry..."

"It's alright, Erik. You had just lost the woman you loved less than an hour before, I know you didn't mean what you said."

My old Persian friend lost his wife and son all at once and I had not the slightest idea how he managed to go on. As for me, I found it unbearable to go on living without my beloved angel and I seriously had no idea what I would do without my son - Gustave was now my reason to live.

"How did you manage to go on?" I asked, looking up at him.

"Well, I spent the first few days at the bar, drowning my sorrow in alcohol but I had been appointed chief of police by the shah only a few weeks before they passed away so however much I wanted, I couldn't go on spending day after day at the bar." He said, sitting down next to me.

"I think I don't need to tell you what happened to those who dared to disobey the shah."

"The same that happened to those insolent enough to disobey the Phantom?" I questioned, causing him to chuckle.

"A different way but most definitely the same effect, if you asked me." He started "I know life seems meaningless to you without Christine but believe me, there are better days ahead."

Better days! Oh, was that insolent Persian idiot kidding me?

Did he think I would fall in love with someone other than my Christine once enough time had gone by? Was I supposed to replace or even betray the only woman I ever loved?

No! I would never do that, I just couldn't!

My beautiful angel was and would always be the only woman I would ever love, this I swore!

I gave him a deathly glance and he immediately looked terrified.

"Beware what you promised me back in Persia when I saved your life, Erik. No more murders unless you have to defend yourself!"

Good thing I liked him, for I had killed others for far less than that. My old friend was still afraid of me after all these years and I found that too amusing to leave it there just yet…

"Who's to prove it wasn't self-defense?" came the Phantom's voice out of my mouth.

Nadir seemed to have noticed the change in my voice for he immediately went as white as a sheet.

"You…you wouldn't do that…" he almost jumped to his feet when I raised an eyebrow in response.

I had a hard time not to laugh at his facial expression, he was the former chief of police why the hell was he so easily scared?

"Oh, Daroga, still afraid of me after all those years?"

"We should go back." He said, ignoring my question as he rose to his feet.

I nodded and rose to my feet, looking around in the bedroom. Everything looked exactly how she left it and I would be damned to clean this apartment from my angel's belongings. When Nadir asked, I told him that I would clean the room as soon as my son had had the chance to say goodbye to his mother properly but deep inside I knew that I would never do it. The hotel room she'd stayed in would remain like this forever. It would be a place for me and Gustave to go to and remember Christine whenever we wanted.

"Papa!" my son came running for me, literally flying to my arms as soon as we were back to my lair "I was so afraid I would lose you too!"

"Shh-" I said, patting his back, hugging him close "You won't, Gustave. I will never go away."

"You promise?" he asked, looking at me.

"Yes, Gustave, I promise." I assured him, placing a kiss on his cheek.

**Gustave's POV:**

I had no idea what the Persian had told my papa but it worked for he didn't lock himself away in his room any longer. Mister Y was my papa whom I loved and it felt good to see him walking around again.

"Papa, can we go and visit mother today?" I asked him one day when we were having breakfast.

"If you wish, Gustave." He said, looking up from the newspaper he was reading.

My papa tried to hide it from me but I could still see the sadness in his eyes.

After finishing breakfast, he told me to get dressed and we left for the cemetery.

As soon as we reached my mother's grave, I could see tears coming to my papa's eyes.

"Good morning, my angel" he whispered, caressing my mother's grave stone lovingly as I placed a bunch of roses down on her grave.

"Oh, Christine, why did you have to leave?" he whispered after a few minutes of praying silently.

"Papa, how did you and mama meet?"

He was kneeling beside my mother's grave now and looked up at me, hesitating for a second.

"I was her singing teacher at the opera in Paris."

Mother used to tell me that the Angel of Music taught her how to sing and yet here was Mr. Y now, telling me he taught her how to sing. What did she need a singing teacher for when she had her angel?

"Mama always told me it was an angel who taught her how to sing." I looked at him, confused "Papa, are you her Angel of Music?"

Once again, my papa seemed uncertain what to say.

"Yes...in a way" he finally nodded.

But Mister Y was not an angel…he was a man like any other... What was that all about?

"But you are not an angel..." I started "Why did you pretend to be one?"

"Well," he sighed "Gustave, you know the reason for my mask and just like you, your mother was frightened when she first looked upon the monstrosity of my face. You see, Gustave, I loved your mother with all my heart from the moment I first set eyes on her but how could a person as beautiful as her ever fall in love with something like me?"

Why was my papa talking about himself as a thing? Yes, his face looked different but apart from that he was a good person nonetheless.

"Papa, don't talk about yourself-" I started, but he went on.

"Luckily, as the weeks went by, her fear turned to love and she learned to see the man behind the monster's face."

We sat at my mother's grave for hours as Mr. Y told me the whole story of how he met my mother. She was a choirs girl back then, taking singing lessons from an angel that my grandfather had sent to her from heaven. But he wasn't an angel at all and they soon fell in love with each other.

Papa didn't mention why he had left my mother so many years and I didn't question it for I knew it was none of my business and I didn't have the right to ask. Surely my papa knew what he had done?

I sat on my papa's lap now, listening to the story he was telling when I suddenly heard footsteps approaching us from behind.

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	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

**Erik's POV:**

Gustave and I spent hours at the cemetery as I told him the story of my angel and I.

It goes without saying that I left out everything regarding the Phantom of the Opera; my son didn't need to know about an Opera Ghost threatening a disaster beyond imagination if his demands were not met.

Who could have known that the real disaster would in fact occur ten years after the mysterious Phantom had disappeared?

It must have been about late afternoon when someone approached us from behind.

"Erik," came a only too familiar voice "I..."

Meg! Oh, how dare she come and try to talk to me after what she did!

"You," I rose to my feet, turning to face her.

Gustave hid behind me as soon as he noticed Meg and I shielded him with my body in order to protect him. Oh, I would be damned to let her take my son away from me too!

"I...I...wanted-" she started, her makeup messed up by her tears but I didn't care.

"You dare to come here?" I questioned coldly, interrupting her.

"I...I'm sorry…"

She was sorry!

Oh, her words angered me and for the first time in ten years, I felt the Phantom rise up in my veins. During those ten years I had learned to control my temper but that was enough, no matter how much those years had changed me!

I couldn't tolerate such insolence!

It was her luck that my son was hiding behind me or else she wouldn't have lived long enough to tell about the Phantom's return…

"Erik, please, I didn't mean to!"

She didn't mean to!

What was she thinking? She said she didn't mean to and how she was sorry and then all would be back to normal?

Oh, that insolent girl!

"What now, Meg?" I questioned, icy- voiced "Do you think you can come here to tell me you didn't mean to and how sorry you are and then all will be back to normal?"

"No, Erik,...I'm only here to let you know that you can tell me if there's anything I can do."

That was the final straw!

She killed my angel and yet here she was, offering for me to tell her if there was anything she could do!

Hadn't she already done enough?

"You've done enough, Meg! My angel is dead...she's dead...do you understand?" I shouted, tears coming to my eyes.

She opened her mouth but I went on before she had the chance to speak.

"The only woman I have ever loved had to die because of you and as much as I wish it would, an apology won't bring her back to life! But please tell me one thing, Meg. Why did you shoot her? Why did she have to die!"

She stood there in front of me, shaking her head as if she didn't know either.

"Even now, all you talk about is Christine!" she cried.

"There is indeed something you can do. I want to you leave and never come back!" I told her but that was apparently not what she wanted to hear.

"What?" she protested "But ,Erik, I have a job here on Coney Island."

"No, Meg, you are no longer working for me."

Perhaps it wasn't the most appropriate time to tell her that she was fired but did she expect me to employ her any longer? She was the one responsible for Christine's death, what choice did I have? The girl had to face the consequences for her actions!

"You are firing me? After all my mother and I have done for you?"

"You killed the mother of my child out of jealousy, _that_ is why you are fired!"

"Go back to your mother's place, pack your belongings and then leave!" I demanded.

"Where are we to go to? Coney Island is our home." She claimed.

"Go back to Paris if you wish," I told her "Go wherever you want, for all I care, as long as you leave here for good!"

She said no more, just nodded and walked away.

On the next day, however, there was someone banging on the door to my lair and I was seriously afraid the door might crack.

I opened the door only to find a furious Madame Giry rushing in.

"Why did you fire Meg?" she shouted, not even bothering to greet me.

"Madame Giry, I too am really happy to see you" I said sarcastically, closing the door "What brings you to my home?"

"Don't play the innocent, Erik!" she yelled and turned to face me.

"I am, by no means, playing the innocent, Madame."

"You know exactly why I am here!"

Indeed I knew the reason for her visit but I would not re-employ Meg. Why should I?

"How could you fire her after all she has done for you, after all _we_ have done for you? We helped you raise the money to build Phantasma! Meg and I stayed on when your beloved Christine chose to leave with a rich and handsome vicomte instead of staying with you and this is how you show your gratitude? You fire my daughter after ten years of working hard for you and tell us to leave our home!" She raised her hand to slap me but I grabbed her wrist before she could do so.

That was enough! We had been through all this on the pier only minutes before the horrible disaster and I didn't want to start again.

"No, Madame. I fired her because she killed the only woman I've ever loved. I really am sorry for her but I refuse to employ the person who murdered the the love of my life!"

Hell, why did I have to justify myself to her?

"You can't tolerate murderers among your workers!" she repeated "Isn't that ironic for the Phantom of the Opera to say? How many people had to die just because they refused to obey your demands, Erik, how many?"

"That is ancient history and has nothing to do with your precious daughter murdering her best friend!" I yelled, getting firmer hold of her wrist.

She gasped as I did so but I didn't care, I wanted her and Meg to leave this Island, the sooner the better.

"I'll tell you now what I told your daughter before; I want you to leave this Coney Island and never return!"

"I've been like a mother for you and Christine during all those years at the opera! How dare you do send me away now!" she asked angrily.

"I didn't force your daughter to kill my angel, did I?" I asked sarcastically, causing her to storm out of my lair.

"You will regret this, Erik!" she shouted, shutting the door closed behind her.

Wisely though, both mother and daughter chose to obey my instructions, for that was the last time I had ever seen them here on Coney Island. I could neither tell where they went to nor did I care!

Gustave was playing the piano during Giry's visit and only a few minutes after she left, he came walking over.

"The Phantom of the Opera?" he asked excitedly "Papa, please tell me about him!"

The Phantom was my past and I vowed to myself that Gustave would never know and yet, here he was asking me to tell him about just that... Oh, damn you!, Giry!

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	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

**Erik's POV:**

When Madame Giry stormed out of my lair, I knew that my son and I had to move somewhere else. Instead of a home for Gustave and I, my lair had become a place where anyone tended to come and go as they pleased. No, we couldn't live there a moment longer. My son needed a save and private place to live and for his sake, we would do just that.

A few weeks in our new home went by peacefully and my former home had become my office. By the time we moved, I had yet no idea what disaster would have awaited us if we stayed in my old home...

"Papa, please tell me about the Phantom of the Opera!" My son repeatedly begged as we were having breakfast one morning.

The darkest chapters in my life….and my son was asking questions about it. Oh, great!

What was I to tell him? I couldn't tell him the truth, but I wouldn't lie to him either.

"It's nothing but a horror story some workers made up to scare silly ballet girls, Gustave." I started; putting away the newspaper I was reading.

I had hoped that the child would be pleased with this answer but he begged for me to tell him more.

"Years ago, some silly ballet girls believed that there was a ghost haunting the opera house in Paris. They said that there were strange things going on like...people disappearing and props dropping down mysteriously. It was even said that this ghost sent notes to the managers, telling them how to run his theater. According to the managers, those notes were all signed O.G."

"O.G.?" My son questioned excitedly "What does that mean?"

"They said it was short for Opera Ghost."

"A real ghost?" My son asked excitedly.

"Well, if you believe in those tales."

"Is this ghost still there?"

"I highly doubt it, Gustave." I lied.

"Can we go to Paris and see if the ghost is still there?" He questioned, causing me to choke on my coffee. From out of the corner of my eyes, I could see a huge grin across the Persian's face.

Why was he always here? We had become friends over the years we spent in Persia and I quite enjoyed his company but he still had his own home, didn't he? The first few weeks after my angel's death, Nadir had been looking after Gustave while I locked myself away in my bedroom, crying over my lost love. Sure, I was grateful but I didn't need to see him twenty-four hours a day!

"Papa, please, I want to see the opera house in Paris!"

"Gustave,"

"Please, can we go?"

How could I ever return to Paris? Ten years had gone by but I knew the police was still looking for the Phantom all over the country. They wouldn't rest until they finally found their most wanted criminal. No, there was no point in going back to Paris for I knew it would mean certain death for me. My son had already lost his mother and I would be damned to abandon me as well.

"I'm afraid we can't go now, Gustave. Paris is too far away from the shores of Coney Island and as winter is only a few weeks away, we would never make it back to Coney before the sea is going to freeze. Apart from that, there is lots of work to do to get Phantasma ready for the end of the season."

My son looked at me, disappointed.

"We will go one day, Gustave." I assured him.

"You promise?"

"I promise." Yes, I knew it was wrong to lie to my child. But what choice did I have? Gustave was nothing but a curious child and I was sure he would soon lose his interest in the Phantom of the Opera.

"Now, eat up and then we shall be heading to Phantasma."

"I want to stay here, papa!" He protested "It's always so boring at your office. I would rather stay here and work on my music."

"Son, you can't stay here alone all day and I have work that is due tomorrow."

"Papa, please!" He begged.

"No, Gustave, you are too young to be alone all day."

"He is not alone, Erik. I could look after him." Came the Persian's voice.

"Oh, don't you have your own home, Daroga?" I growled.

"You don't need to thank me, old friend." He chuckled, causing me to roll my eyes in annoyance.

"I see no reason to do so."

"Papa, please, say yes." My son begged me.

"Alright," I finally agreed "but only for today."

After eating up, my son hopped down from his chair, running to the piano.

"So, you're going to take a trip to Paris next year?" Nadir asked after the child had left the kitchen.

"You don't know me at all, do you?"

"You're not going?" He questioned, stupidly.

"Of course not! The authorities of Paris are still searching for the infamous Phantom of the Opera, Nadir, you know that! I'm France's most wanted criminal, I can't go back!"

"That's most certainly true but Gustave is looking forward to it." He argued.

"You know how children are, Daroga! He will soon be interested in something else and have forgetten about the opera ghost!"

That's what I hoped, at least…

"Gustave is not an ordinary child, Erik. From what I can tell, he's so much like his Chris-"

"Enough!" I yelled, slamming my fist down on the table.

"Erik, I-" He started but I raised one hand warningly as I walked away, causing him to shut up.

I reached the living room before he could say another word, approaching the piano where my son was playing.

Ruffling his hair, I bent down to place a kiss on his forehead. My son stopped playing and looked up at me, smiling.

"I love you, papa."

"I love you too, son." I smiled, tears welling up in my eyes. After my angel's death, Gustave was my reason to live. He was the reason I was still alive. Yet, it brought tears to my eyes to know that my son, my own flesh and blood, accepted and even loved me. Oh, what would I do without him?

With that, I left our new home and headed towards my office.

I was walking past the gates of Phantasma when I heard someone calling for me.

"Master," looking into the direction the voice was coming from, I found a blonde woman was walking towards me.

Meg!

Oh, what did she want? I had told her to leave, had I not? How dare that girl disobey my instructions after all she had done!

"Didn't I tell you to leave?! Why are you still here?" I growled but that insolent girl ignored me.

"I'm ready to perform tonight." She announced.

"You're no longer working for me." I reminded her as I walked past her.

"You know you need me, Erik."

"Indeed?" I questioned, turning to face her "and what makes you think I would need you?"

"Well," The girl explained with such ignorance in her voice. "there is no one else here on Coney who could replace Christine."

_Replace!_

Oh, how her words angered me and caused my blood to boil! At that very moment, Mister Y was no more for I had once again turned into the Phantom... Yes, the infamous Phantom had returned, ready for anything and willing to kill!

"Replace!" I hissed, grabbing her throat "How dare you?!"

She gasped in pain and horror as I slammed her violently against the nearest wall but I didn't care. Yes, I had hurt her but I hated this jealous murderer with a passion and couldn't care less whether I hurt her or not. She had to pay for murdering my angel and by god, she would!

"Erik, you know it's true." She went on.

That was enough!

"Alright, girl, listen and listen carefully for I won't tell you twice!" I yelled, getting firmer hold of her throat "I don't need you and you will not sing at the concert hall. Not tonight, not tomorrow, not ever!"

"Phantasma will be nothing without me!"

I laughed "Believe me, the last thing my park needs is a jealous murderer walking around!"

She opened her mouth but I cut her off.

"Now, do as I told you and leave Coney Island for good! You and your mother will leave here this very night! You will go and never return for I assure you, I will make you regret the day you were born should I ever see you on this island again!" I vowed, pressing her against the wall even harder.

My angel's murderer now looked at me, completely terrified but oh, I couldn't care less.

"Believe me, Meg, a man as hideous as this is capable of anything." I assured her "Now, did you get what I told you?"

The girl just nodded, causing me to release her from my grasp.

"Good." I nodded, turned on my heels and stormed towards my lair.

Once there, I shut the door closed, angrily. Meg's words had angered me beyond anything and I knew there was no point in working when I was angry. Therefore, I sat down at my piano and started playing. Ever since I was a child, music had always helped me to calm down and forget the world around me. It was like a secret hideaway where I could go to and forget all the problems around me.

Hours must have past as I plunged myself into my music. As always, the world around me fell away while I was playing my piano and so, I wasn't aware that something was terribly wrong...

Suddenly, though, I smelt something strange and instinctively lifted my head to see what it was. And what I saw almost stopped my heart within my chest...

I shot to my feet and my eyes widened as I looked around; only to find my entire lair was on fire!

Coughing, I spun round, looking for a way out but there was no use. I was surrounded by hot, blazing flames and there was no escape!

Within seconds, thick smoke surrounded me and I could hardly breathe. Unable to escape the flames, I stared into them, accepting my certain death for I knew that was it... my life was over...

**I'm sorry for the delay in uploading but I've been busy recently... Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. Please review?**


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

**Erik's POV:**

"Erik,"

I heard my angel's voice and turned to find her standing in the doorway. I was still surrounded by flames, but I no longer cared, for my Christine was beside me... Yes, I knew my angel was dead and yet, I didn't for one second question why she was there now...

"Christine?" I whispered, reaching out for her. My angel was there with me! No... this couldn't be... my Iove had died in my arms... I had buried her, had I not?

My angel said nothing, just turned and walked away.

"Christine... " I begged her hoarsely, coughing, "don't leave me..."

That was when she turned and extended her hand to me. I gathered all the strength I had left within my body and walked towards her, pressing my hand hard against my nose. She took my hand into her own soft, gentle one when I had approached her and she led me out of my burning lair.

My angel had a worried expression across her beautiful face as she glanced at me over her shoulder when I wouldn't stop coughing. As she led me out, I felt increasingly weak and unsteady on my feet...

Once outside, my legs weakened and I dropped to my knees, gasping for air. As I knelt there, I pressed my eyes closed and focused on breathing.

My angel was still beside me, her hand on my shoulder. Yes, I knew my brain was just playing tricks on me, but her touch felt so real... oh, so real...

That was when the world around me began to spin and I passed out in my angel's arms.

**Nadir's POV:**

I had promised to look after Gustave while Erik was working and he had not yet returned when it reached the late afternoon.

I was sitting in the living room, reading, when suddenly Gustave came running.

"It's burning, Mr. Khan!" he cried, obviously panicked, "burning!"

"Gustave, calm down," I told him, putting aside the book I was reading, "what are you talking about?"

"It's on fire!" he repeated, hysterically crying.

"Believe me, there is no-"

"Not here!" he interrupted in a tune that could have been his father's. "Papa's office... it's on fire!"

It was exactly the tune in which Erik would yell at me to 'shut up, you idiot!"

"Gustave, what-?"

The child grabbed my arm, pulling me towards the window of the music room, pointing out.

My eyes followed his gesture and what I saw caused me to freeze. Erik's old home was ablaze... I could only hope that he had gotten out there just in time for Gustave surely wouldn't survive losing his father as well…

"What are you waiting for?" he cried, heading to the door. "We need to go there!"

"I'm sure he's fine," I assured him. "You have heard what he's said, there is a lot of work to do all over Phantasma."

"And what if he was working in his office and is trapped in there now?" he insisted.

"Gustave-"

"You know him! Nothing can distract him once he's working!" the boy argued.

"I'm sure your father is fine and will return home any second."

But being Erik's child, the boy remained stubborn and wouldn't give in...

"We have to go there and help him!"

"Gustave, calm down!"

Yes, I too, was worried about Erik, but just as I had told Gustave, I was sure that my old friend was fine.

Once again, the child grabbed my arm and tried to pull me to the door.

"Mr. Khan, please! Papa needs our help!"

"Believe me, your father is capable of taking care of himself," I tried to assure him.

All his life, Erik had to look after himself in order to survive and I was still able to do so.

"But papa needs us!" he cried, "I just know it!"

With that, I gave in and we both rushed towards Erik's office.

**Gustave's POV**

I really enjoyed living in our new home. My papa's new house was much larger than his old one which he now used as his office. It even had a music room with all the music my papa had ever written as well as a piano in it... the most beautiful piano I had ever seen!

Yes, I liked our new home but it felt only halfway home without my mama...

My papa tried to stay strong and hide his grief about my mother's death away from me, but there was a sad expression across his face whenever he thought I wasn't watching. He missed my mother dearly... so much that I was afraid he would simply give up and die as well. But hat was I to do without him? He was all I had now.

Luckily, my papa stayed strong and we had become inseparable after only a few weeks. Life could have been perfect if only my mother was here...

One day, I was spending the day playing the piano, composing music, when I noticed something strange out of the corner of my eyes. Curious, I lifted my head and upon looking out of the window, I found my papa's office was on fire.

No... papa!

I stopped playing at once and shot to my feet.

My eyes filled with tears as I ran over to the living room where Mr. Khan was reading a book.

"Papa's office is on fire!" I cried. "He needs our help!"

My papa and him were friends, were they not? Was I the only one who was worried about my papa?

I had hoped my father's friend would be as worried as I was, but he didn't seem to care! He only put his book away and asked me what I was talking about.

When Mr. Khan finally agreed, we left home and headed towards Phantasma.

I ran as fast as I had never before run in my life and what I saw when I reached my papa's lair caused me to freeze.

There were people standing around, tourists, workers... everyone! It seemed as if each and every person around Phantasma stood there, staring up at my papa's burning office!

They didn't seem to worry. They didn't even seem to care about my papa!

I tried to push my way through the crowd but they wouldn't move! Those people simply ignored me... I hated them... I hated them all for blocking my way!

I had just reached the front of the crowd when someone grabbed my arm, trying to stop me.

"Gustave, wait!" came the Persian's voice. "Stay here! It's too dangerous!"

Yes, it was dangerous, but I didn't care...

All I wanted was to find my father and I wouldn't stop till I found him.

Suddenly, I noticed that there was someone or something lying on the ground right in front of the door to Mister Y's old home...

I broke free from Mr. Khan's grasp and instictively started running towards the form I couldn't yet identify.

"Gustave, no!" I heard him call for me, but I didn't care... I didn't care that I might put myself in danger... no, I would be damned to stop and stay where I was.

It was just then that I recognized him... Papa! He was lying there lifelessly on the ground...no... no!

"No… papa!" I knelt down beside him, crying desperately.

I shook his shoulders in hopes he would wake, but there was no use...

"Papa, please… please… wake up!"

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	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

**Nadir's POV:**

"Papa, please... wake up!" Gustave begged, shaking Erik's shoulder, but he didn't even stir.

"Erik, do you hear me?" I slapped his cheek, but there was no use, "answer me!"

"Papa, don't die..." the child was in tears as he bent over his father's lifeless form, still shaking his shoulders.

I grabbed his hand to feel his pulse, but there was hardly anything. No, Erik couldn't die! He couldn't abandon his son...he just couldn't!

"Someone get help!" I yelled at the starring crowd but no one moved.

What was wrong with them? Didn't they see that their employer and owner of Phantasma was close to dying?

"What are you staring at?!" I shouted at them while ripping open Erik's shirt. "Mister Y needs a doctor! Go get help!"

"You have to help him!" Gustave cried, clinging my arm as I tried to revive his father.

"Don't dare to die!" I growled as I kept pressing my hands against Erik's chest, attempting to push life back into his body.

Hours seemed to pass until Miss Fleck returned, accompanied by a doctor and only when they reached my side did I stop my attempts to revive him.

**Gustave's POV:**

I didn't leave Mister Y's side for one second, not even when help finally arrived. They told me to move aside, but I refused to do so. Instead, I grabbed hold of my papa's hand and didn't even move when they placed his lifeless body on a stretcher, rushing back to the hospital.

No, my papa needed me and I hoped he would notice I was there with him and wake up.

Over the hours, the waiting room filled with people working at Phantasma, but I didn't pay attention to them. No... I spent the time I had to wait praying. I prayed to my mother, begging her to watch over my papa and send him back to me.

Oh, I hoped she would hear my prayers for what was I to do without Mister Y? My papa was all I had left now and I would be lost without him...

What was taking them so long?

It felt like ages had past until the door to the consulting room finally opened and the doctor came walking. I was sitting closest to the door and yet he ignored me, heading straight over to Mr. Khan. He just ignored me! Oh, why was he ignoring me? Yes, I was just a child, but Mister Y was still my papa and I had the right to know how he was, had I not?

I watched Nadir talk to the doctor for several minutes, a serious expression across both their faces and rose to my feet when I noticed the doctor gesture towards a patient's room. They were talking about my father and therefore I assumed the room he had pointed at to be the room in which I would find Mr. Y. I couldn't be sure but all I wanted was my father and so, I stood and went over to that certain room.

Quietly closing the door behind me, I turned to find my still unconscious papa lying on the bed. Making sure not to wake him, I tiptoed over to his bedside and crawled onto the bed beside him. Yes, they had removed his mask and wig, but I didn't care. I was no longer scared of his face. Since my mother's death, he had been so kind, comforting and caring that I had no reason to be scared of him anymore.

"Please don't die..." I begged, snuggling my head into his chest, "I need you, papa!"

And once again, I prayed for my mother to send Mr. Y back to me.

Suddenly, the door flew open and Mr. Khan rushed in.

"Gustave, you scared me to death! You can't just run away!" he exclaimed, worriedly, "what if something had happened to you?"

"But I didn't run away!" I cried. "I just wanted to be with my papa."

"I'm responsible for you while Erik is here and believe me, he would kill me if something happened to you," he explained, taking a seat at his bedside.

"Will papa be alright?"

"Yes, Gustave, he'll be fine," he assured. "Your father is strong and has been through much worse than this."

"Then why doesn't he wake? I'm too young to care for myself."

"Gustave, listen, your father will be fine. Just give him the time he needs to recover from his fume poisoning."

"Fume poisoning?" I questioned, sitting up. "What does that mean?"

"I'm not a doctor, child," he chuckled, "wait until the doctor comes to check on your father tomorrow, I'm sure he can explain it better."

Fume poisoning sounded terrifying, and as much as I wanted Mr. Khan to tell me what it was, my mother had told me not to argue with adults and therefore I didn't question any further. My mother was dead but that didn't mean that I could forget everything she had ever taught me. She didn't ever really leave me, I knew she was always beside me even though I couldn't see her and I wanted her to be proud of me.

"Why does papa always have to wear a mask? His face is not that horrible when you are used to it."

"I know, Gustave, but there are a lot of people out there who are afraid of anything that's different. Your father has many enemies just because he looks different to most people, that's why he wears a mask to protect himself from them."

"But why are they afraid of his face? It's your personality that matters, not the way you look."

"That is true, but unfortunately most people have never learned to see past someone's appearance."

"From now on, he won't need his mask any longer," I declared, running my finger down his distorted face.

"And why is that?" the Persian questioned.

"Because I am here now and I will protect him from those bad people." I explained, causing Nadir to chuckle.

"I'm sure you will." He laughed, checking on this clock-watch "Alright, it's late, Gustave, let's go back home, you need to sleep."

Yes, it was almost dark and I was tired, but I didn't care. My papa was most important now and I wouldn't leave him.

"I'm not tired!" I lied, fighing back a yawn.

"Yes, you are." He rose to his feet, extending his hand to me "Come along now, child, it's time for you to get some sleep."

"I can sleep here too." I argued.

"He is asleep due to the medication the doctor has given him and he will sleep through the night but I promise you, we will come back tomorrow morning."

"But what if he wakes while we are not here?" I questioned. "He'll feel lonely and think that I don't love him."

"That's nonsense, Gustave. Your father knows that you love him." He said, ruffling through my hair "Come along now, it's long past your bedtime."

"We must stay here!" I cried "He will sense that we are here and that will help him to recover quicker."

"Gustave, enough." He said, gesturing for me to follow him but I refused to move.

"Mr. Khan, please, I want to stay here." I begged, causing him to sigh.

"You are, indeed, your father's child, do you know that?" He grinned, taking his seat at his bedside once again.

With that, I snuggled back into Mister Y's chest, my arms wrapped around him. Listening to my papa's heartbeat calmed me and I soon fell asleep beside him.

**Please review?**


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

**Erik's POV:**

When I opened my eyes, my angel was still beside me.

We were no longer on pavement just outside my office where I had passed out in her arms. However, I could not tell where she had brought me to for all I could see was light... There was nothing but a warm, strangely comforting light that surrounded us...

What was that place?

"Where are we?" I questioned, looking around.

"Angel, you have to go back." My Christine replied in a sad voice.

"Go back?" I repeated.

Oh, what was she talking about?

"You don't belong here," she said, smiling sadly "not yet."

"Let me stay with you." I begged her, taking her hand into mine "anywhere you go, remember?"

"Gustave needs you," she replied, squeezing my hand softly "please, Erik, you promised me."

Yes, I had promised her but at that time, I had still hoped that she would somehow make it through. I knew I had promised her to raise Gustave on my own and however much I wanted to keep it, I knew I couldn't.

My mother told me that my father had died a few months before I was born, leaving her to raise me on her own. Oh, how was I to raise Gustave alone when all I had ever known was a mother who couldn't bring herself to love her monstrous son? She did not even try to show me that she cared for me! No word of love, no sign of affection…just hatred and disgust! That was all I had ever known from her.

"I can't raise him without you!" I cried.

"Yes, you can," she assured, caressing my cheek "In fact, you are doing great."

"But what if I do something wrong?" I questioned "I don't want to raise him to become a bad person."

"Angel, you are a wonderful father to him and he loves you more than anything. You have so much love to give, Erik, please, stop doubting yourself. I know Gustave will be a wonderful person, just like his father."

"Oh, Christine, why did you have to leave?" I cried, tears falling down my cheeks.

I pressed my eyes closed as my angel kissed them away.

"I have never left." She whispered reassuringly, placing her hand upon my heart "I am right here and will always be. Just think of me and I will be at your side."

Opening my eyes, I reached out for her to caress her beautiful cheek.

"Please promise me that you will stay strong." She whispered.

"For Gustave's sake." I assured her.

My angel smiled softly, her hand still placed upon my chest.

"Oh, my Christine, I love you..." I whispered, gently pulling her closer to me.

"And I love you, Erik." she breathed, her lips almost touching mine.

I gave a soft groan upon feeling her soft, welcoming lips against mine. Oh, how real they felt...

**Gustave's POV:**

I refused to leave my papa's bedside, even when I woke the next morning... I knew I had to stay by his side for he would sense that I was there and he would know that I needed him. That was what I hoped at least.

It was about midday when the door flew open and Doctor Cooper walked in to check on my papa. He told us that we had to leave the patient's room for the time he would check on him but I still refused to move. I would only leave Mister Y's side when I had gotten answers to my questions.

"What is fume poisoning?"

He was very kind and took his time to explain it to me but he used so many technical terms that I hardly understood a word.

"Will papa be alright?" I questioned when he had finished explaining.

"Yes, child, Mister Y is going to be just fine." he assured me "He is strong and has been through much more than this, judging by the scars upon his chest. Give him time to rest and he will be his old-self again very soon."

His old-self? How could he be his old-self again after my mother's death? My papa had been desperate ever since my mother had died. Yes, he had tried to hide it away from me but he couldn't hide away that heartbreaking sadness in his eyes.

"Come along, Gustave, let Doctor Cooper do his job." came the Persian's voice "there are other patients he has to check on. We can't keep him from his work all day."

Doctor Cooper had assured me that my papa would survive and therefore, I rose to my feet and followed my father's friend outside.

"Where are we going?" I questioned as we walked down the hallway.

"We will go back to Erik's house so that you can refresh yourself and change into some other clothes." He explained "Your father wouldn't be happy if he knew that I let you sleep here."

"But I wanted to sleep here and that is what I will tell him when he gets mad at you." I assured him, causing him to laugh.

"I'm sure you will, Gustave."

With that, we went home and once there, I climbed up the stairs, rushing to my room.

After washing, I changed into some clean clothes and went to the kitchen where Mr. Khan was waiting for me.

"Time for breakfast." He told me, setting the table.

"I'm not hungry." I replied.

"Don't lie to me, Gustave. You haven't eaten anything since dinner time yesterday and it's past midday now, you have to be hungry."

"I don't eat much." I assured him "I never have and mama would always laugh and say that music was more important to me than food."

It was true. I had never eaten much, which led to many arguments with Raoul. He couldn't understand that music was what I needed to live. He didn't love music as much as my mother and I and he never liked it when I played or my mother sang.

"Gustave-"

"Please, can we go back to the hospital now?"

"Alright," he rolled his eyes "just give me time to clear the table."

After helping him with it, I went over to the music room to collect my music sheets and than we left.

Once back at the hospital, I crawled back on the bed beside him.

My papa was still asleep and so I decided to work on my music while waiting for him to wake. I sat there, softly humming the melodies that were playing inside my head as I wrote them down.

Then, suddenly, I felt a hand ruffling through my hair and heard a weak yet so familiar voice.

"This is beautiful, Gustave."

I dropped my pen at once and turned my head to the source of the voice, a smile across my face.

I was so happy that my mother had heard my prayers!

My papa was alive!

**Please review…**


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

**Re-uploading this chapter because I added and changed some details.**

**Erik's POV:**

When I woke, I found myself lying in a hospital bed and for some strange reason, I felt dizzy and had a hard time breathing… what had happened?

There, right beside me, sat Gustave who was so absorbed in his music that he didn't notice I was awake. As I watched him humming along to the melody he was writing down, I wondered if I looked the same whenever I was working.

"Gustave, this is beautiful…" I managed to say in a weak voice, ruffling his hair.

"Papa, you are alive!" he exclaimed and suddenly wrapped his arms around my chest.

"Careful, child," came the Persian's warning voice, "your father is still weak."

"I am perfectly fine, thank you," I coughed.

"Papa, I was so worried that you would die as well!" he cried.

"And leave you in the keeping of a former chief of police?" I teased, knowing that it would upset Nadir "I would never do that."

"You are welcome, old friend. You don't have to thank me for saving your life," he answered in a dry voice.

The moment Gustave's fingers touched my distorted cheek was the moment I realized that I was neither wearing my mask nor my wig. Turning my face away from him, I reached over to the nightstand where both items had been placed on but my son stopped me.

"Papa, please, don't wear your mask any longer," he protested.

"Gustave, you know-"

"I am no longer scared of your face," he assured and his little hand turned my head to face him, as if to prove his words. "It's not that bad when you are used to it."

As he spoke those very words, he looked at the hideousness that was called my face and much to my astonishment, there was, indeed, no glimpse of fear or disgust in his eyes. To know that my son accepted me brought tears to my eyes and as much as I wanted to, there was no point in fighting them back. No… I was not used to so much affection…. All my life, there had only ever been hatred and disgust!

My son was collecting his music sheets when I heard his stomach growl. He was hungry! Oh, how dare this Persian idiot forget to feed my son?!

"Were you not supposed to look after him?" I addressed Nadir angrily who nodded in response, "then why didn't you make sure to feed him?!"

"I wanted to, but he told me he wasn't hungry," he justified himself.

"Oh, come on, Nadir!" I growled, "how often have you ignored me when I told you I wasn't hungry?"

"I told him he had to eat something, but he insisted on coming here to see you!" he explained, but I quite simply ignored him and after adjusting my mask and wig, I rose to my feet.

"Where do you think you are going?" he questioned.

"What does it look like?" I raised an eyebrow.

"You nearly died in that fire, Erik!" he rose to his feet, "you have to stay in bed and get some rest!"

"I surely won't stay in bed while my son is starving!" I turned to face him. "Damn you, Nadir! You promised to look after him for just a few hours but, as it seems, you are not even capable of that!"

He opened his mouth to argue again, but I refused to listen.

"Come along, little one," I turned to my son, pulling my robe over my shirt. "We will go and see if we find something to eat."

"Doctor Cooper said you had to stay in bed," he insisted, "you can't walk around in your condition!"

"As you can see, I am perfectly fine and capable of taking care of myself!" I assured him, "besides, I am sure there are patients who need his help more urgently than I do."

"Erik,-" he started, causing me to roll my eyes.

"I bet he won't even notice that I am gone. Now, with your permission, my dearest Daroga, my son and I shall be going."

With that, my son and I left the hospital and headed towards my park, leaving the Persian dumbstruck.

Thanks to that bloody fume poisoning, I kept coughing as we walked our way back towards my park. Yes, I was still feeling dizzy and struggling to stay on my feet, but I knew I could manage to keep walking... I just had to! I had to stay strong, for Gustave's sake. I had promised my angel and therefore, I would do just that.

When I was sure that my son was not watching, I reached out for the wall to support myself against it.

"Papa, can we have some pizza?" he asked as we reached the gates of Phantasma.

"Whatever you like, son," I nodded, causing him to look up at me and smile.

When we finally reached Coney Island's most famous pizza parlor, I gladly dropped down in a chair at an empty table.

"Papa, are you alright?" my so worriedly asked, "you look exhausted…"

"Yes, Gustave, I'm fine." I lied and it was, luckily, just in that moment that the waiter came walking and placed the menus down in front of us.

"Now, what are you having?" I questioned as I watched Gustave look through the menu.

"I don't know!" He cried "I can't decide! I have never seen so many varieties of pizza in my whole life!"

"Well, life is not always easy, son." I grinned.

After a few moments of silently studying the menu, his eyes suddenly widened in excitement and I knew he had found what he had been looking for.

"I would like to have the Phantasma Special!" he told me.

Of course! What else could he have wanted? He was a child and they loved to do things themselves and they hated just to sit there and wait for something to happen.

When the waiter returned to take our orders, he asked my son to follow him to the kitchen to create his own pizza.

Allowing children to create their own pizza…. What started as a silly idea had over the years turned into a real success. At first, I thought it was a bad idea but it had soon turned out to be a very efficient way to extend the menu. According to the head waiter responsible, the idea of letting children create their own pizza in the restaurant kitchen had turned Phantasma's pizza place into the most famous one all around Coney Island.

I stared down at the flame of the candle that was placed in the middle of the table when I suddenly heard a woman's high pitched voice calling for me. Looking up, I noticed that it was Miss Fleck.

"Master," she politely started, "it is nice to see you are alright."

"Thank you, Miss Fleck," I looked up at her, smiling slightly, "that is very kind of you."

"Sir," she nervously said "there is something I need to talk to you about but I couldn't as long as the young master was around."

Oh, what could she possibly want?

"What is it?"

"People around Phantasma are talking and there are rumours…"

"Rumours?" I questioned. "I can assure you, there are always-"

"Mister Y, you don't understand..." She hesitated, "after what happened to Miss Daaé… some people say what happened to you now was not an accident…"

I was quite sure that Miss Fleck was trying to tell me about rumours saying that I had tried to commit suicide... Oh, what did they care? They were all just worried about the future of Phantasma if something happened to me!

"What?" I shot to my feet, grabbing hold of her wrist. "Who is spreading around such nonsense?"

"Sir, I know what I have seen."

"What have you seen, then?" I questioned, raising an eyebrow.

"Miss Giry…" she started "I…I saw her hurrying away from your office only a short time before the fire broke out…"

"Meg?" I repeated "Why would she-?"

_Phantasma will be nothing without me! _Meg's words were suddenly echoing in my ears and I remembered the argument I had with her right before my office burned down. And suddenly, it all made sense…

Madame Giry's greedy daughter was jealous! She had said so herself on the day of the big disaster in which my angel had been taken away from me. Yes, Meg and her mother had helped me a lot during those ten long years and I promised to repay them for their work but I never meant to give them my park! In fact, I had never thought about what would become of Phantasma after my death and I frankly didn't care. But now that I had a son, I knew what I had to do and so it would be.

In the background, I heard Miss Fleck telling me that she had to go as her next performance was just a few minutes away. Lost in thoughts, I merely nodded and sat down again, wondering how far Meg was willing to go in order to get my park. I didn't want my son to be alone while I was working in my office nor did I want to ask Nadir to look after him every day. The man had his own life and I had no intention to have him in my life more than necessary. Therefore, I took Gustave with me to my office where he would compose his music or occasionally help me design new rides.

Meg must have known and taken advantage of it. Ever since my angel's death, Meg kept telling me how it was an accident and how she never meant to hurt or even kill my sweet Christine. As I recalled what had happened to my sweet Christine, all my doubts were suddenly wiped away. Meg may not have wanted to murder my love but I knew that her and her mother were cold-blooded and greedy enough to do whatever was necessary to get what they wanted.

**I am so very sorry for the delay in uploading… I had some problems with my laptop which is why I had to re-write the whole chapter …yay? Hope you will all keep reading this story anyway. Please review!**


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

**Erik's POV:**

Once I was sure my son was fast asleep in his bed, I closed the door to his room and walked over to my music room. Sleep had never been something I particularly enjoyed, for every time I attempted to sleep, I was haunted by horrible nightmares. Dreams of my childhood that I was forced to spent locked in a cage or, most horridly, of the events at the pier. Therefore, I decided to do some paper work that was due the following day. Not really my favorite work ever, but it had to be done…

I picked up a pen and was about to plunge myself into my work, when suddenly I noticed something was different. For, just as I placed the pen down and started filling in the first from, I felt a hand resting against my back…. A gentle and caressing hand I would have known anywhere… My Christine…

When I felt her lips seductively against my neck, my eyes closed and I tilted my head slightly to the side.

"Christine," I groaned as she moved her lips further down my neck.

No… this could not be, for I knew she was dead… But, oh, it felt so real, as if she were really there…

Shifting in my seat, I turned to face her and in an instant she sat in my lap, her hands grasping the collar of my shirt. Her delicate lips moved against my malformed ones as her hands were busy, undoing the buttons of my shirt. Once they had come undone, she gently pushed the fabric from off my shoulders and tossed it to the floor.

"Angel…" I groaned once more as she pressed her warm hand against my chest, causing her to shush me by pressing another kiss to my lips.

"Follow me," she cooed, taking my hand into her own as she rose to her feet.

She led me over to my bedroom and before I knew what was going on, I was trapped between the mattress and my angel.

Another soft groan escaped my lips as upon feeling her delicate lips once more against my neck, causing me to tilt my head to the side, giving her more access to it.

"Christine, no. Gustave is asleep next door.." I tried to protest when her gentle hand moved down my chest, but it sounded more like a plea than anything else.

"He won't hear." She whispered reassuringly, tracing the scars across my stomach "not if we keep quiet."

Her eyes were glued to mine as I felt her hand moving further down my stomach and therefore I was not quite prepared for her next action. For suddenly, her hand reached down beneath my waistband and took me by surprise.

The sensation of her hand wrapping around the most sensitive part of my body caused me to harden beneath her touch.

"Christine…" I groaned out loudly as she slowly begun to stroke me.

"Shhh…" she pressed one finger against my lips to silence me as she continued.

I knew the risk that Gustave might hear was high but, how was I to keep silent when she continued her merciless yet sweet torture.

It was impossible... unbearable…. Not when I was completely at the mercy of my angel.

When she even quickened her pace on me, she pressed her lips against my malformed ones in order to muffle my cries of pleasure.

Oh, sweet torture…

There was a pressure building up from between my legs as I felt my climax slowly approaching.

Knowing I wouldn't be able to endure her merciless game for much longer, I pushed my hip into her hand, desperate for her touch.

And then suddenly, I heard a knock at the door and forced myself to open my eyes. I must have fallen asleep, for when I woke, I found myself still sitting at my desk, bent over my work.

"What is it?" I growled when another knock occurred.

"Papa?" came Gustave's voice from the other side of the door. "I can't sleep…"

Oh great!

I rubbed my aching back as I rose to my feet, walking over to the door and pulling it open. When I came face to face with my son, I found that he had tears falling down his cheeks. Oh no…what was it now?

"What's wrong, Gustave?" I questioned, kneeling down in front of him to meet him at eye level.

"I had a nightmare…" he sobbed "it…it was horrible…"

"Hush now, little one..." I tried to calm him, wiping his tears from his cheeks "It was nothing but a bad dream…it's fine."

"I miss mother…" he suddenly cried, wrapping his arms around me "I want her back…I want my mother!"

"I know, Gustave. I know…"

Oh, I missed her too…so very badly… If only it was in my power to bring her back to life…I would do it without a second though. I would go through hell if I had to! But I wasn't the Phantom of the Opera anymore and I could no longer control the world around me…. Oh, if only I could!

Soon, the collar of my shirt was soaked through from his tears and I scooped the crying child up in my arms, carrying him back to his bedroom. Carefully, I placed him down against the mattress and tucked him in beneath the blankets.

"Try to go back to sleep, Gustave." I told him, pressing a kiss to his forehead.

Much to my astonishment he accepted it and did not back away, nor did he look disgusted. Quite the contrary, he looked up at me and smiled. He smiled!

Just as I turned to walk towards the door I felt his small hand grabbing my arm, causing me to turn back to him.

"Papa, will you stay here?" he questioned, his voice still teary.

Oh, wasn't he already too old for that?

I was about to protest, but looking down at him, I found my angel's eyes staring back at me and I knew at once that I could not reject. How could I when he looked at me like his mother always used to?

"Please?"

Oh, damn her power over me!

"Alright," I nodded.

As soon as I was settled beneath the blankets beside him, Gustave wrapped his small arms around my chest; his head snuggled into my shoulder.

"Goodnight, papa." He whispered as he reached up to place a kiss to my cheek, causing me to smile "I love you."

"I love you too, little one." I replied, as he snuggled his head back into my shoulder "Now, try to sleep."

I held my son close to me and was about to doze off when I heard Gustave's voice one more.

"I can't sleep..." he complained, causing me to roll my eyes.

What was I to do against that? How was I to help him sleep?

God, I was a horrible father…

"Will you sing for me?" he questioned.

"Sing?" I repeated.

"Yes, " he nodded "Mama always used to sing lullabies for me when I couldn't sleep."

"I don't know any lullabies…" I confessed.

I had never had a mother nor a father to sing such things to me when I couldn't sleep… Surely, Carlotta's arias always did great to help me doze off, but she wasn't here now. The only time I would have needed her and she was not there…Such a shame…

"What did your mother sing for you when you couldn't sleep?" he questioned.

The thought of my mother singing me to sleep caused me to laugh sarcastically.

"My mother…" I hesitated "She…she never did that."

With that, my son sat up and looked at me, and I noticed his mother's curiosity in his eyes.

This was neither the time nor the place to tell him. I wanted him to sleep. The last things I wanted was telling him stories of his dreadful grandmother.

"Now, time for you to go back to sleep." I told him, as he snuggled back into my arms and in spite of his protests of not being tired, he was fast asleep only a few moments later.

**Right…. I'm really am sorry for the endless delay. Please keep reading! And please review **


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